“Thanks, Jinx.” Amelia smiled as she accepted the little gift, then bent down to gently pat Jinx’s head.
Right away, she noticed something different about Jinx today. Instead of her usual plain clothes, the little girl wore a pretty dress. Her hair, which was normally thrown up in a messy ponytail, was now neatly braided into two pigtails, each decorated with tiny flower clips.
Even her eyes looked brighter and livelier than usual, not nearly as shy or sad as before.
But when Amelia spotted the bruises on Jinx’s arm, her heart twisted. She reached out and ran her fingers gently over them, full of worry and tenderness.
Felix watched all of this, taking in the way Amelia cared for Jinx. His gaze softened, but he quickly hid any emotion behind a calm expression.
This was only the second time Timmy had met Felix. He eyed the tall stranger from head to toe, trying to figure him out.
Felix offered a handshake and a warm smile. “Hey there. I’m Felix, your mom’s friend. And I’m also Jinx’s uncle.”
Timmy looked at Felix’s outstretched hand for a second, then slipped his small hand into it for a quick shake.
“Hi, Uncle Felix. I’m Timmy. You can just call me Timmy,” he said, sounding serious but polite.
The four of them headed out to the car. Felix drove himself, no driver in sight. The kids climbed into the back, while Amelia took the passenger seat up front.
At first, Jinx was glued to a cartoon on her tablet. Timmy kept sneaking peeks at the screen, and pretty soon the two of them were huddled together, giggling at the silly antics in the video.
Amelia glanced over at Felix, wanting to ask him about Jinx, but she held back, not wanting the kids to overhear. Instead, she stared out the window, lost in thought.
Felix had picked a family-friendly restaurant with a cool vibe. Huge safety windows looked out onto what felt like a mini safari, with animals wandering around outside.


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